So Sweet

Ike and Boo

Our precious wee ones have been battling a cold for the past four nights. Ike doesn't seem too bothered by it, but Kate is having a rough go of it. She has trouble keeping her soothie in her mouth when she can't breathe well out of her nose. Bill's been enjoying snuggling with her and rocking her late into the evening and I get up with her in the wee hours of the morning to suction out her nose, feed her, and keep her propped up. I put her in the swing which really seems to do a lot of good. However, once that nose gets stuffy, our bundle of joy gets angry -- not quite as angry as Jack Jack on the Incredibles cartoon though. Anyway, we've had some long nights and it looks like there still may be a couple more ahead of us. Times like this are quite taxing on the body, but these little moments are indeed special and every baby can use a little extra love and care.

Sweet Slumber!

I am writing to celebrate a rare and momentous occasion. All three wee ones are fast asleep! The dishes are done (we won't talk about the laundry) and I've got a cup of coffee and a book to read! Ahhh, now that's the good stuff right there. Ciao!

All those beautiful birthday presents . . .

After playing with the hose outside this morning, I had him come inside. A few minutes later this is where I found him --"playing in the pool."
While I took a shower, Ike decided to "chapstick" the door knob. Any ideas on how to get the chapstick out of the little hole are welcome!
My chapstick after the incident. Who knows where the lid is!

The sink after he got out of "the pool."
For those of you who don't know, this is how your toilet paper roll is supposed to look -- if you have a four-year-old that is.
I don't know why I buy Charmin ultra soft. Half of it usually never serves it's main purpose.

Well, my day is half over. I wonder how many more pictures like this I can get in one day. The only reason I can do this now is because i can hear Ike behind me playing with his new train.

Corn Syrup Anyone?

Our doc suggests that corn syrup (which is in SO many American products) is the reason for a lot of sickness and diabetes. So I was SHOCKED when I bought a can of formula and the first ingredient on the back was CORN SYRUP solids! And not only was it the first ingredient, it was 43% of the contents! YIKES! I never would have guessed that corn syrup would be in our "advanced" baby formula. I am really not as worked up about this as all the exclamation points would suggest, but I am completely flabbergasted. I thought formula was expensive because it was filled with super-quality ingredients!

Well, if you do use formula, I am not writing this to criticize or judge anyone who uses formula. After all, not everyone can breastfeed their babies. Anyway, I really don't know if corn syrup is in ALL formula (I know it's not in the organic kind). I don't really care what anyone else does. In fact, if you have a need for it or know of anyone who could use it, I'll gladly hand over the Costco-sized jar free of charge:) Self pick up only. Use at your own risk. Two scoops are missing:)

Kate and Ike

Late Night Pancakes

We were up late the other night and Bill got hungry so he made us pancakes with boysenberry syrup! Yum! Thanks, Sweetie!

Baby B

My friend Jordi is having twins and Baby B (the little boy) is causing some concerns that may mean a very early delivery. We are REALLY excited to meet them, but we'd like him to hang in there and get a little chubbier before he has to come out! If you have a moment, please send up a prayer for my dear Jordi and her much anticipated babies. It would be ideal if he could hang on for at LEAST four more weeks! Not only would he be healthier, but I should have his quilt done by then! I promise I'll have it done before four weeks, Jordi!

Little Lady

Pirate's Booty

Isaac: "Mom, I want some pirate's booty."

Me: "What?"

Isaac: "I want pirate's booty."

Me: (confused) "Show me."

He takes me to the kitchen and points to the very top shelf in the pantry.

Oh! Apparently we bought "Pirate's Booty" at Costco the last time we were there:) I thought it was just popcorn . . .

Your kids will teach you WAY more than you will ever teach them!

Fourth Birthday!

Little Helper

Four Years

Bill and I LOVE the Olympics! We cheer and get nervous and jump up and down when races are close. What can I say! We really get into it. When Ike was born four years ago today we had the Olympics on in the delivery room. I remember specifically watching olympic soccer while pushing out my firstborn. I don't remember watching anything after his arrival;) I was pleasantly distracted!

This year was so special because I got to watch with Isaac. We popped popcorn and cheered and let him stay up a little later. When I asked him if he wanted to be an Olympic swimmer someday he thought for a few seconds and replied, "No thank you." He loves to swim, but only if Lisa is there to hold onto him! He was a little concerned for the swimmers with no one to help them out in the pool.

So here's to my favorite four-year-old who makes our lives so wonderfully divine!

Project Planting

Ike and I planted seeds a few days ago. We had so much fun. Every few minutes Ike would check to see if they had grown! Well, every few minutes turned into every few hours, to every morning, to not at all. With my luck, we may never see any sprouts, but we sure had a jolly time planting them (and playing with the dirt!).

Honesty is the Best Policy

I had a good laugh when I read about three-year-old Kylie telling her Mommy that she thought she was going to have another baby. How cute that was! However, when your own kid tells you, it's not so funny:)

I was busy doing normal household duties when little Ike's eyes lit up and he came smiling toward me. He put his hands gently on my tummy and began patting. "You have a boy baby in your tummy, Mommy?"

Let me tell you, I am motivated! I have the latest issue of Women's Health and have started doing the "Flat Sexy Abs in Just Two Weeks!" workout. For those who know me, know that realistically two weeks won't be nearly enough . . . And I just have one question: can one really have "flat sexy abs" with stretch marks? I probably won't ever know! Whatever. Those babies are worth every stretch mark and additional "curves"!

Banana Bread -- sneaky mom style

I did a little experiment in the kitchen tonight and am now sitting down enjoying it. I am enjoying it so much that I thought I'd share the recipe. It's from the Betty Crocker cookbook, but I've changed it up a bit (maybe a lot:). . . and it still tastes good. You'll wonder when you see the ingredients, but you'll just have to take my word for it.

Mix together:

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 tbsp ground flax
6 tbsp water
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup pureed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Put it in two grease bread pans and bake at 350 for one hour.

Well, I've got breakfast ready for tomorrow and a casserole in the fridge! Sunday prep is done! Happy Sunday to all and to all a good night!

Is Tactfulness Overrated?

The other day when I mentioned about my trip to Walmart, I failed to mention the highlight of our adventure. Quite frankly it was because I was a little embarrassed, but now I see things a little differently.

While I was in the store trying to keep my three year old's curious little hands off of everything, you could say I was a little preoccupied with my own children to notice what was going on around me. However, there was no way I could help but hear a nearby granny scolding her small granddaughter -- half of the store could hear her. She was quite a bit more obnoxious than the tired tot. I pushed my cart around her as Ike stared in disbelief -- I think I may have stared in shock as well. Anyway, I carried on minding my own business and kept on pushing my cart around the produce section. I had to keep backtracking since I kept missing stuff on my list so we passed the cranky granny a few times. Around the third time we passed her, Ike furrowed his eyebrows and his eyes followed suit as they squinted, but still looked straight at granny. His stubby little nose wrinkled and his arm went out strait in front of him. His small but very firm pointer finger was aimed directly at granny and out came the honest words in his deep manly voice, "Stop it, bad guy!" I responded quickly and unfortunately a bit embarrassed as I put his arm down and told him it was not polite to point.

Thinking back, as I have been doing since our little trip, I am more proud of him than anything. I wish I was as bold and honest as he is. Bold? Check. Honest? Check. Courageous? Check. Tactful? We'll be working on it! I am so glad someone got granny to shush. We didn't hear another peep from her and we were there for a long time!

So here's a friendly reminder, treat those kids with kindness and love or you may make a good example of what not to be like and end up on someone's blog:)

Sweet Pea

Island in the Sun

Today marks a milestone on my blog. My sister called this morning and walked me through the steps of how to put my "play list" on here! I searched for a fair amount of time for songs that I like and found some that really take me back. For instance, Weezer's "Island in the Sun" takes me back to when I went to the local college . . . a long time ago. All of a sudden I am back in Painting 101 when the instructor encouraged us students to bring in music to listen to while we painted. Surprisingly, the instructor was relatively conservative for a public college so imagine the shock (and dare I say horror) on her face when we rocked out that day to Weezer. This "Island in the Sun" song is the only "mellow" song on album. Can you imagine what our paintings looked like? Well, Jordi, you don't have to imagine . . . if you haven't thrown it out yet, that dreadful painting was passed (not forced) on to you some time ago:) Ahhh, memories.

Six Months Old and All is Well!

This morning I took Kate to her six month appointment (she'll be six months old on the 15th!). What a happy and healthy six month old she is! Doc checked her out and she's a sizeable 17 pounds and 26 inches! She's gained ten pounds and 7 inches since we brought her home in February!



I love going to see her doctor. He has a LOAD of information in his brain and doesn't mind sharing! He also doesn't mind ALL of my questions. I would sit in his office for hours picking his brain, but . . .


So today I asked the doc what some of the probable causes of the crib death are. I know this is somewhat of a concern with mothers of wee ones as we want to protect our children as best we can. He thinks it is possible that all the chemicals in the nursery can contribute. A few of his concerns are the fresh painted nurseries, the chemicals in the crib mattress and bedding, as well as the formaldahyde that coats the jammies. He suggests buying all these things in organic or chemical free. He also suggested to buy the infant clothing from Europe as they don't have to coat the baby clothes in chemicals. I already talked to Heidi today about this stuff and she's checking with her local baby boutique store to see if they have these kind of items. She is so on top of things!

Photographer

I was taking pictures of the kids the other day and Ike wanted to take some. He took this pic! I thought he did a pretty good job.

Watching the Olympics

Good Evening

It's a quiet and peaceful Saturday night in the Parramore household. The little Loves are snoozing after a long day of rambunctiousness and conquering the house. I have to say, those two sleeping is the very sight of pure peace.

I've spent some time this evening preparing for our Sunday. It is such a relief to have prepared lunch and dinner in advance (if you have the time, I highly recommend it). It makes me long for tomorrow to get here so I can just spend the day with my charming husband and my little friends! I've laid out Isaac and Kate's church clothes and packed both of their bags -- snacks, toys, extra clothes, diapers, etc. We are going to be going to visit both Grandmas and "The Two Grandpas" (as Isaac calls them since my Grandpa is living at my Mom's house at the moment). Their bags are loaded up with goodies and I'm feeling on top of things for a change. Hopefully I'll still be on top of things when the Sunday morning rush arrives tomorrow!

Anyway, I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Sunday and we hope you have a merry time celebrating the Lord's day.

Random Details

I've been tagged . . . so here are some boring facts about me.

Answer the following using the first word that pops into your head (and remember, use just ONE word!)
1. Where is your cell phone? none
2. Your significant other? dreamy
3. Your hair? highlighted
4. Your mother? talented
5. Your father? friend
6. Your favorite thing? paints
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? coffee
9. Your dream/goal? gardening
10. The room you’re in? family
11. Your hobby? painting
12. Your fear? spiders
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Tahiti
14. What you’re not? pregnant
15. Muffins? chocolate
16. One of your wish list items? maid
17. Where you grew up? neighborhood
18. The last thing you did? kiss
19. What are you wearing? flip-flops
20. Favorite gadget? sling
21. Your pets? no
22. Your computer? necessity
23. Your mood? calm
24. Missing someone? yes
25. Your car? small
26. Something you’re not wearing? earings
27. Favorite store? Anthropologie
28. Like someone? yes
29. Your favorite color? white
30. When is the last time you laughed? morning
31. Last time you cried? ?

Santa's Early

Okay, so I just couldn't help myself! I've been Christmas shopping a little early this year! My Mom made Kate a toddler sized quilt and one for her baby doll that matches. It's going to look so cute in there!

How Do I Know He Loves Me?

Well, I don't know about your husband, but there are chores around the house that my husband really doesn't enjoy. There aren't very many mind you . . . mostly he really doesn't like to fold the laundry. However, the other day he let me sleep in (until almost one o'clock) and when I finally found my way out of bed, I woke up to find him tackling my mountain of laundry. Ahhh, he loves me! So what's a girl to do to show her man she loves him too? Make him a special dinner of course! Here's a picture of the lovely dinner I made for him -- crab cakes for my Marvelous Maryland Man and other things he likes! Now if only he didn't have to unexpectedly work four hours of overtime last night . . . they probably would have tasted better fresh out of the frying pan. Oh, well! He appreciated my efforts anyway and knows that I love him too.

Silly Boy

Today we were at the store picking up a new cell phone. Ike was his busy little self not able to stand still . . . until a beautiful little blonde girl (proably around 16) walked in. Ike was star struck and whispered to me "Look it's Hannah Montana!" He got all shy and could barely take his eyes off of her. I whispered back, "She's really pretty." To which Ike responded enthusastically, "Uh huh!"

Thought this was cute

"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them."
~Phyllis Diller